Audio-visual entertainment toy system

ABSTRACT

The present invention is an all inclusive multifunctional audiovisual system for children. The system functions to relieve children&#39;s various fears that arise in the night including but not limited to noises, motions, shapes, and shadows. In addition, the system entertains children during the day by supplying a companion for children to carry with them, and a story and music player. The Night Guardian System is a unique tool that, builds confidence, empowers children, and helps them sleep better, all while stimulating their intellectual growth during this stage of development.

RELATED APPLICATION

The application claims the benefit of provisional application 60/816,479 filed Jun. 26, 2006 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.

1. FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system that entertains children during the day and especially at bedtime. This system helps soothe children's fears throughout the night by providing solutions for a full spectrum of nighttime developmental fears and needs. Also, the additional features of this system stimulate the intellectual growth of children during an important developmental phase of their lives.

2. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

All children between the ages of two and seven experience a psycho-developmental stage where they are afraid of the dark and feel threatened by certain areas or shapes in their rooms at night. This is an unavoidable stage of human development that stems from our “early brain” where the fear of being hunted as prey still exists.

3. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There is an unmet need in the toy market for an all inclusive system designed to assist children in battling their fears of the dark while also functioning as a practical enrichment and educational tool. The Night Guardian System is entertaining, comforting, and a fundamental family improvement that provides unprecedented assistance to parents trying to help children during this critical phase of childhood development. The Night Guardian also provides children with a fun, approachable concept which empowers them to overcome their nighttime fears.

4. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a night guardian protector.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of a free standing Sun Crystal.

FIG. 3 is an overall view of the complete Night Guardian Package, including the Storytime Player.

FIG. 4 is an overall view of the Basic Night Guardian System including the Night Guardian and 4 Free Standing Sun Crystals

FIG. 5 is an overall view of the Basic Night Guardian System's mobile feature, shown within a child's backpack

FIG. 6 is a view of a Night Guardian and a Sun Crystal functioning as a child safety system

5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to comfort children and assist them in overcoming their fears of the dark while stimulating confidence and intellectual growth, and providing parents with a child-oriented safety system.

While there are night lights that illuminate areas at the location of electrical outlets, or stuffed toys that light up the minimal surrounding area, the Night Guardian bedtime aid system allows children to illuminate all areas of their room that they find threatening. Night Guardians are portable toys 10 with imbedded lights 20 that the child can bring along everywhere including, most importantly, to bed. Sun Crystals are the light-containing structures found on the chest of each Night Guardian 30 and are also free-standing, light containing 50 structures 40 that can be placed in various locations in the home, or even transported to other homes, i.e. of relatives, See FIG. 5.

Children learn that each free-standing Sun Crystal 40 is made to be placed in areas of the room they find most threatening. For example, there is a specific Sun Crystal for under the bed, near the window, the closet and other threatening areas. See FIG. 3. Having the security of free-standing Sun Crystals in various parts of the room comforts children, making them feel confident, relaxed and more prone to fall asleep. The system also allows parents to place Sun Crystals in various unsafe areas to create a child safety system, See FIG. 6.

The Night Guardian is a remote controlled device (“Remote”) 10 that can communicate with the various free standing Sun Crystals 40 through Infrared or Radio Frequency, or other contemporary technology.

Each Night Guardian and Sun Crystal comes equipped with a valuable combination of features. The remote function can be activated by pressing on the Night Guardian's chest 30 or limbs 90. The remote activates the illumination and sound functions of the free-standing Sun Crystals 40. A small switch 60 on the Sun Crystals allows parents to choose: speech and light, light only, speech only, all off, and another switch 70 allows them to control the duration of the light. There is also a volume control 80 for the speech and song ability of the Night Guardian itself.

Each Night Guardian contains an internal media library of comforting and confidence-building sayings. The Night Guardian's sayings and songs can be activated by depressing its limbs 90.

The Night Guardian's remote ability also allows it to tell stories and sing songs when used in conjunction with the Player 100 (see below). The Remote 10 allows the child to control the songs, images, and sounds from the Player 100. The Player 100 can communicate, through infrared or radio frequency or other contemporary technology, with the Sun Crystals 30, 40 and activate their light and sound emission functions in conjunction with the story being narrated. The Player 100 can emit sound-track music and environmental sounds while the Night Guardians perform the speaking, and if there is no Night Guardian, the Player fills the absence by “speaking”.

The Player 100 is equipped with an internal library of Night Guardian media including stories songs and music, and also can download, store and play external media. Stories are told by inserting a media storage device 110 which can trigger the internal media, or which contains media which is downloaded to the Player 100.

The Player 100 also functions as a music player used anytime. As the Player plays Night Guardian music, the Sun Crystals 40 sing their respective parts from their positions throughout the room. The player also functions as a projector 120, creating a visual display of the narratives. During player entertainment, the player can activate the sound and light functions of the Sun Crystals when they fit into the story.

Fear Development:

The Night Guardian System helps children cope with their fear of certain areas of their bedroom and house, certain shapes and shadows, and their overall fear of the dark. Additionally, certain Sun Crystals are equipped with high powered lights and are designed for placement high in the room to illuminate a larger area, like an entire wall.

Thus, while fundamental novel features of the invention are shown and described and pointed out, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in another form or embodiment. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto. 

1. An interactive audio visual entertainment system for children comprising a portable, bed-friendly toy with a self contained light structure, at least one additional free-standing light structure wherein both self contained and free-standing light structures are capable of receiving signals and emitting sound and illumination.
 2. The system of claim 1 in which said system is used to build confidence and aid children in overcoming their fear of the dark
 3. The system of claim 1 in which said system is capable of being easily transported to various sites.
 4. The system of claim 1 in which said system functions as a safety mechanism for illuminating dark areas of a house.
 5. The system of claim 1 in which said toy is plush and stuffed.
 6. The system of claim 1 wherein said toy can activate an imbedded sensor of said free-standing structures through infrared or radio frequency or other contemporary technology allowing the free-standing structures to emit light and sound.
 7. The system of claim 1 in which various audio functions may be activated by pressing on various areas of said toy.
 8. The system of claim 1 wherein said self contained structure can be activated to illuminate and emit sound by placing pressure on the area of the structure.
 9. The system of claim 1 which comprises at least one switch adapted to activate and deactivate the light function.
 10. The system of claim 1 which comprises at least one switch adapted to activate and deactivate the sound function.
 11. The system of claim 1 which comprises at least one switch adapted to control the duration of the light function.
 12. The system of claim 1 which comprises a volume control to adjust the volume of the sound output.
 13. The system of claim 1 further comprising an audio player which has the ability to play music, sounds, and recite stories through the use of pre-stored information or through downloaded material.
 14. The system of claim 13 wherein said toy can communicate with said audio player through radio or infrared frequency or other contemporary technology controlling the various functions of said player.
 15. The system of claim 13 in which said audio player can communicate with the self contained and free-standing structures through radio frequency, enabling said structures to recite audio material.
 16. The system of claim 13 in which said audio player acts as a projector and displays a visual projection of the stories being narrated. 